Trump admits Republicans own the government shutdown and all the canceled airline flights

News and views for Floridians and other thoughtful Americans

I wanna be like him…

Those canceled airline flights, the hungry children, the unpaid federal workers? President Donald Trump has admitted they are all the doing of the Republican Party.

It’s Trump, of course, so he may not have fully realized the implications of his babbling. But he said it. And now he owns it.

His admission took place at a luncheon and press gaggle for one of his favorite dictators, Viktor Orban of Hungary.

Weighing in on the government shutdown, Trump said Senate Republicans should scrap the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes—instead of a simple majority—to pass legislation.

He said it would mean Republicans would “never lose the midterms and we will never lose a general election” for the foreseeable future.

Why? Because then Republicans could ram through new voter suppression laws making it tougher for Democrats to vote.

“I am totally in favor of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place, and lots of other good things would happen. And it doesn’t make any sense that a Republican would not want to do that,” he said.

Translated: Republicans can end the government shutdown anytime they want. In fact, they could have avoided the shutdown altogether.

Now, reasonable people can reasonably disagree about the filibuster’s virtues or lack thereof.

Currently, the rule keeps Republicans from running roughshod over Democrats, which is why Trump hates it.

But the rule also applies when Republicans are in the minority in the Senate, and it ensures their voices must also be heard.

Theoretically, the filibuster rule distinguishes the Senate from the House in that it forces compromise on legislation. It makes the Senate—were it operating normally and not under Trump’s thrall—a more bipartisan branch of government.

Which is why so many Republican Senators are reluctant to follow Trump’s orders. They know someday—perhaps as early as the next midterm election—they could be the underdog, and the rule would work in their favor.

Go nuclear now, kill the filibuster, and they could pay the price.

Will Republicans crumple in the face of their Dear Leader’s directive? Or will the Senate ultimately function as designed, and some sort of compromise with Democrats result?

Either way, one thing is clear: This is the Trump Shutdown, the longest in the nation’s history.

Republicans own it, and Trump just said so.

So, all those canceled airline flights. Thank the G.O.P.

All those children going hungry because Trump refuses to release the food stamp funds? Trump didn’t have to go to the Supreme Court to block those payments, and the Senate could have fixed the problem with just one vote.

Republicans seem to have forgotten the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you own it.

Now we’ll see if they can fix it. To do so, short of abandoning the filibuster rule, would require Democrats’ coopertion.

Cooperation or capitulation?

Senators of both parties are under immense pressure and they are meeting in a rare weekend session to resolve this. We’ll see how this sausage is made soon enough.

What do you think? Share your views by clicking on the COMMENT link at the end of this newsletter. Thanks!

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In case you missed it…

Our advice columnist, Miss Mingo, answered the pressing question readers have asked: Will Gov. Ron DeSantis rename the town of Homosassa to Heterosassa? If you missed her column yesterday, you can check it out at:

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